HCR: Strutting upon a Stage Edition

As I noted last night, Boehner and the gang have come to largely play...and it turns out to be a bad fantasy Panto.

McCain still is fighting the '08 campaign.
Just a long screed and whine about Obama.  Glad you came to help America, John.

Boehner sends out a preemptive message to complain.
Good to see he is open.  And we see the talking point that Reps will be using.  Let's just be bipartisan and pass small pieces...like tort reform, tax cuts, and free reign for the insurance industry.  It'll be a great victory...Yeah, give Reps what they want.  Brilliant.  And no one is calling them on it on CNN.  And why is Mary Matalin getting free reign to slag the president along side the "journalist" who want take one side or another.  Great job CNN.

(This really bugs me.  The media seems to like the small bill plan, so tort reform is going to get pushed, even as the Dems point out how little it means in comparison to the bigger issues.  But on top of this...Reps have not been able to push major tort reform...but Dems may well go and do it for them.  They couldn't slash as hard as they wanted at access to abortion, but Stupak will lead larger number of Dems to do it for them.  Isn't there something wrong here?)

Senator Alexander gets called on his crap by the president and AP.

The Two Faces of the Republicans.
On the one hand Republicans are pushing plans to dismantle Medicare and with the other hand they feint at being it's one true defender.  And will the media call them on it?

Outside, Steele wishes we could have talked a year ago.
Which the president actually did.  Remember?  While you were attacking, complaining, and trying to scare the country?  Remember?

A list of articles from TPM for today.

Shameless: The Conservative Way

Conservatives are shameless.  To support the contention, I submit the following:

Tucker Carlson now fears and opposes 'over the top' rhetoric.

Carlson made his name on Crossfire on CNN.  This was an hour long show built exclusively on over the top rhetoric and empty argument.  Now he could have grown, changed, or moved on since then.  But he hasn't.  He has continued on, applying the same crap spreader to any media outlet that takes him (like FOX news).

And to be sure.  By over the top, he means those extreme Dems.  Of course.


McCain, McCain, Spreading the Blame.

He is now trying to blame Pres. Bush for his campaign suspension from '08.  It wasn't McCain's fault.  Bush made him do it, even if everyone else remembers it differently.  So he is trying to blame Bush, just as he is trying to join in the Rep meme that Obama is all about blaming Bush.  Brilliant.  Better yet he is blaming Obama to, saying Obama suspended his campaign as well, which he didn't do.  Is it time to finally just stop any and all bull about straight talk and John McCain?


Who caused the current economic crisis?  Hippies.

Yes, the age old enemy of conservatism is back.  The Hippy.  And as everyone knows, they lead to the excess of the 80's and the decisions of 00's.  It all fits together...and the Mona Lisa is the final proof...

Hippies.  Is there nothing they can't be blamed for?


Pawlenty, the Panderer.

He is one among many.  But it is interesting to see this guy sell off all of his nice guy cred for some short term hard conservative cash that will prove of little use.  All those moderate points are getting pawned at criminal rates.

And I loved his 9-Iron wit.  Taking a club to the window of government?  Breaking out the governments windows?  That is pretty violent imagery for how to act towards government?  Particularly from him?  I look forward to that getting replayed i he ever runs for something again in Minnesota.  Oh wait, the MSM wouldn't want to do that.  That wouldn't be fair.

Olbermann and the need for real reform

Olbermann put out a pained Special Comment this night over health care.  Things are not going well for his severely ill father.  And he sees daily just how important his health care insurance is at this time of his life.  And looking at the pain and trouble that he and his father face...motivates him to push the White House and Congress to get the job done.  As well, he points to the need to damn those that turned the need to guarantee people get end of life aid and the chance to discuss those issues with a doctor.  It is important.  It isn't easy, but it is the difference between making and second guessing decisions and knowing what those you love need and want.  I know at times I am haunted by what decisions I made be called on to make one day as one's child, but what is worse is to make a rushed and uninformed decision.

And so those meeting Thursday morning really need to think and start acting.  No more blocking any reform.  No more one sided deals to industries.  No more talk of just coming back to it another year.

We, WE the people, need reform.  We need to cut through the bull and spin.  And this falls on the media as well.  Olbermann and Maddow can't take the brunt of this work.  People like Blitzer and the other anchors need to stop be disinterested brokers of data shunts.  Be damn journalist.

Video of the Special Comment


Daily Kos Diary entry from Olbermann on Special Comment

ADDENDUM:
I just wanted add a thought as I have thought of the loathsome posturing of Rep. Boehner (the Boner).  All along he has played a role as a Panto villain.  The HCR bills are TOO LONG, then TOO SHORT.  He wanted media coverage, then the media coverage is all a trap for him.  He is a joke, a self made one.  And now, as a meeting he demanded and is welcomed at looms...what does he say?  "I'm going to crash the party."

What?

It's his fucking meeting, and he is going to go all rogue on it?  In advance, with a presser for the media?  What crap.

People are dying, suffering, and being made to feel afraid.  And all he can think of is, "It's showtime."  Man loves his little hand mirror.  And he will bring about a great deal of suffering to this country in the hope of bolstering himself.

It's fucking shameless.



[Picture added]

Those Deadly Abortion Bans

Feministing looks at a sad example of the problem when you just ban, or more importantly let religion and politics dictate medicine.  Neither religion or politics give a damn about the reality faced by actual people.

In Nicaragua they have passed an absolute ban on abortion.  Now a young woman who is pregnant, has cancer.  But the way to treat will mean she will need an abortion first.  And that is illegal.  So she commits a crime, or she sits down and dies.  That would leave her living 10 year old daughter orphaned.

What's the politico-religious answer there?

To help:

UPDATE: The coalition working on this case is asking individuals and organizations to take action. Head over to RH Reality Check to find out how you can help.

ST:VOY and the stupid things writers say

A new review came up and Star Trek Voyager, and looking at it made we think about an earlier review that was related.  The newer one deals with a mangled science versus religion story.  And the older review is about the wonders of "primitives".  Suffice to say they are both insulting pieces.

And with recent thoughts about the mishandling of multiculturalism and the dissing of real science.  These reviews seem both humorous emblematic of the troubles we face.

Sacred Ground - Science vs. Religion.  On one side the dogmatic rigid and unrelenting bastion of close mindedness and on the other side...religion.  I hope religion really just shows science the need to grow and learn.  Don't worry, it will.



Tattoos - Where we learn the nomadic indigenous tribes of ancient Earth had it right...and that they only knew future success because aliens came and helped them along.  Think of it like ST IV, where the whales are now Indians...are you insulted yet?   Wait until you see the isolationist religious zealot who is always inthe right.  You will be then.


Really, writers of these eps...hang your heads in shame and think about what you did.

Homeopathy is water...

Phil Plait points to a great new finding coming out of the British government.

Homeopathy has been found to be a waste of money.  Particularly it is a waste of the governments.  Through the NHS they are forced to pay to support the practice.  But a new finding out of Parliament says it is a waste.  Seeing as around 4 million pounds go into this a year, they will hopefully move soon to end support and put the money to far better use.

The trouble is that there is pressure to continue support.  The anecdotal outweighs actual large scale studies..

The media not getting it

Digby looks at current media reaction to Ron Paul in the wake of C-PAC.  Particularly through the eyes of Chris Matthews.

He seems to see Paul as something of a Goldwater Rep...interesting analysis.  The media is like that.  Paul is somewhat quite Libertarian.  And he puts forward a certain social openness/keep the government out attitude.  But he has pushed anti-choice laws, and seems open to other encroachments at times.

Here is from a list of Paul positions from posted via Andrew Sullivan:

• Withdrawal from the U.N.
• Withdrawal from NATO.
• Return to the gold standard.
• End income tax.
• End Federal Reserve.

Then there are those racist writings and ties.

But, yeah, let's simplify it all and say he's just like Goldwater.  Great.

This is the analysis and information we get through the MSM.  And then after they spread it around.  They poll their watchers and find that they hold to these "facts" they built up.

Great.

Lomborg Revealed?

PZ Myers point to something I have been long wanted to see determined one way or another.

Bjorn Lomborg has long played himself off as a great skeptic, standing against the Global Warming dogma.  He has tried to sound reasonable, pointing to the pointlessness of laws and regs that claim to fight the polluting influence of the modern world.

But his work is now in question.  As the piece aboce notes.  In going through the footnotes of Lomborg, it seems the referencing doesn't bare out his claims.  Interesting.  I hope we hear more.

Easy comic work gone wrong.

What is this?

Really.  They want to do a new X-Men book to get casual readers and this is the approach?  I thought the women in the middle and in black was the Emma Frost character at first.  Her breast are spilling out of the bottom of her shirt...and I thought it was a tasteless take on Frost.  Then I realized the hair she had, and that Frost is on the right (and GEEZ!  Look at that pose and how she is drawn...ewww.)  That is the approach to Storm, like that doesn't put a bad taste in the mouth.

And how about Cyclops in the center.  With the cowl, the t-shirt, and gloves...He looks like he's dressed to kick in your door and kidnap you.

So they have a new book.  It, unlike the kid fare (though it extends to light and fun fare for all ages) Marvel Adventures, and more adult Ultimates, will be actually part of the continuing stories in the main books...which this isn't part of...somehow.  So it is a side book that you don't have to read, and doesn't require reading the main books.  And major changes will occur to the main books through this book...somehow.

This is real honest to gosh attempt to have one's cake and eat it to.  Another classic decision from Joey Q?

A new wider audience X-Men book is easy, look at X-Men: First Class (looking at youthful adventures of the first team.  And this story has bee told and retold for the past 2 decades). This is just so awkward.

BTW.  Who is the girl on the left in the red blob?  No clue.

Looking at the Christian war on history.

The NYT has a good piece online.  How Christian Were the Founders?

Among the things looked at is the attempts to rework history to emphasize conservatism and a particular Christian view of the world and history.

This is epitomized by Texas, and the State Board of Education, where moves are made wipe César Chávez.  Phyllis Schlafy, Gingrich, Reagan, the Heritage Foundation, the NRA (rifles not New Deal) and the Contract with America need prominence.  But they do want Margaret Sanger (who pioneered birth control), but so they can use her as an example of eugenics.


That is what Texas faces.  Attack on science books, moves to bring religion further into schooling, and rewriting history.


It is further noted.  That they see history as being obfuscated by those damn liberals.  They can only hope to block God's will and the America's destiny.  See, the founders meant for us all to be lead by Christianity and Christian intents.


Now...the fact the majority of the country is Christian...most all of the government is run by Christians...doesn't that say MISSION ACCOMPLISHED...No?  Hmm?


These guys just prove to be so damn creepy and scary.  They see history as proof of their beliefs ascendancy and truth.  And when history doesn't work...you rework the history.  Just as with science where...[SEE HISTORY]


ADDENDUM:  Here's another example of trying to control the school books, so at to control the message...i.e. science daring to challenge Jewish teaching.  The case of Dr. Gavriel Avital.


And my sweet block headed South Dakota has a resolution heading to the Senate that will call for "equal balance" in discussing Global Warming in classrooms.  And it isn't even the only state.  ANd I have to agree if you are in state, make calls and voice your concern.

Concerned citizens should call their state senators and Governor Mike Rounds to tell them that this bill needs to die.

Obama's War on Christians

Ken Blackwell, the guy that helped steal the election from Kerry, is out announcing the dark and dire assault Obama is leading...

on Christians.

Ooooooooooooo.

You see some of the people Obama is trying to place in the Justice Department and EEOC will...lead to an anti-Catholic and pro-Abortion onslaught.

Particularly he used the word POGROM.  Which describes a organized massacre, specifically against Jews.  Even richer, one of the people he attacks is Jewish, descending from a Holocaust survivor.  Still classy, that Blackwell.

Oh, now Rahm's some genius.

Following on the brilliant plan from Mark Halperin to beg and plead with Reps, we now get told how it is by Dana Milbank.  Do what Rahm tells you.

See!  Rahm had it all worked out (if only Obama listened.).  He knew how to do health care.  And that was to not support a public option, and then put out a small Rep friendly bill.  On Gitmo, let it continue.  Rahm is brilliant.  Except...Obama didn't support or push for a public option, even today.  And the idea that there would be a HCR bill Reps would support is dense.  Then with trials and prisons...the plan from Rahm is to just not do the right thing...

So...back a weak bill that Reps would attack and Dems would hate, and then ignore the rule of law.  What a great plan.

All this makes me think is, what was noted in an earlier post.  What the fuck is Emanuel doing day to day?

C-PAC and the Cons

There has been an attempt to grasp where conservatives are now.  Are they far right, tea bagging, compassionate, Mount Vernonites, etc?

Some are excited to have a real a-hole who came to denounce GOP gays was booed.  First, remember, he was an ass, and was picking a fight with the room.  Second, there seems to be a move to use that speaking forum to come off as the great populist who expect all into the tent (No Obama Allowed).  

Even the John Birch Society.  They are a paranoid group that have rallied for years against things like the fluoridation of water.  Years back, they were driven to the fringe, and definitely out of C-PAC.  Now, they are sponsoring it.  What a change.  And they are still as crazy as ever.  And welcomed back in the tent.

Then there was George Will, just looking the other way.  What, Birchers having weight at C-PAC?  What?  Is that the same mouth with which he lies about Climate Change science?

Picture from C-PAC, Real Men Marry Women bumper sticker...cause conservatives now respect gays.

Picture from C-PAC, all the books explaining how Obama is personally destroying or destroyed everything.

Then Ron Paul won the presidential straw poll (Which really means nothing.).  He beat Romney and Palin, and Romney actually campaigned to win this.  This peeved some people who don't think he deserved the win.  

And look at who are tied to Paul.  The Oath Keepers.  They are nutty enough to even bug O'Reilly.  They see the disarming of people during Katrina as treasonous.  They try and downplay how severe things were during the disaster.  And they want the military and police to resist Obama when the illegal orders come.  They court insurrection.

I also note this from C&L:

Oath Keepers in coalition with John Birch Society, 9/12 Project branch. Oath Keepers is listed as a member of Friends for Liberty, a coalition that, according to its website, includes the right-wing John Birch Society, the Spokane, Washington, branch of the Glenn Beck-associated 9/12 Project, and Vaccination Liberation, a group that claims as part of its mission to "reveal the myth that vaccines are necessary, safe and effective."

New Doctor Who teaser

Here's a fun teaser trailer with the Doctor and his new compansion and a quirky glimpse at the dangers they will be meeting.

Betweeen consciousness and communication

There was quite a stir over the story of Rom Rouben.  He is a Belgian man who is in a coma.  Last years his doctors announced that they believed he was conscious, after studies.

Then they added that facilitated communication was used to confirm and interact with him.  As many skeptics will know this technique is largely looked down on as it is incredibly easy to be manipulated, as a person who is disables is guided by another party in spelling out words.  Which can lead to intentional or just simply intuitive jumping around by the other party going where they think the patient would to point.

Rouben's doctors have done a study of the technique and now have presented on it and say it has no merit.  Most of us saw this coming.  But it is nice to have a high profile study done that may help put related shenanigans in there place.

At least we can hope it does.

I'm a PC

Politically Correct.

What this post is about is how we treat this idea.  It has been turned into a pejorative.  Like LIBERAL, FEMINIST, ATHEIST.  It is a horrible thing to be politically correct.

Hathor Legacy has an interesting piece on this.  When it is pointed out that a story has no women or minorities, or they are shoved into the back or minor roles, people reflexively get upset at it being pointed out.  And they have a point.  Not every story needs to be a Benetton ad.  But when stories dealing more with "others" are so rare, comment should not be ignored.

Diversity is not evil.  Which brings up another term that gets shit on.  Multicultural.  I know people like Pat Condell rage against it as evil.  But that is ridiculous.  In excess it is bad.  But evil.  To know about other cultures is good.  To appreciate differences is good.  To live outside a narrow funnel of history and society is beneficial.  When I was young British people moved to America long ago, wearing big hats and buckles, they had a party with some Indians, and that was how America started.  We all know that ain't the whole story or even all that accurate.  Are Mexicans just sombreros and ponchos?  And, yes, are Muslims just turbans and jihad?  The point is when government bends over to be polite to the point it sacrifices the well being of others or the whole that is bad.  Just like with PC, if you go to an extreme and deny any criticism of those different, that is wrong.

I remember a bit from a Michael Palin doc, Sahara.  He meets a French missionary, a young women, and she talks of her respect for the local culture.  And she casually talks about female circumcision, and actually defends it.  How that is possible as women, I don't know.  Guess it is a matter of go along to get along.

Still, some simple Political Correctness bad?

Who misses the ease of use of the racial term the N-word?  Do you miss the ease of throwing it at people?  Or denying someone a job based on race or sex?  Miss the old days?

Who longs for this..well, some conservatives and a large chunk of the tea baggers, I guess.

How to treat a Beck

Maddow (w/ vid) has gotten herself drawn into slight back and forth with Glenn Beck.

Beck has a regular habit of exaggerating, denying past comments, and...lying.  She called him on this.  Then in response he mocked her and edited her work to blot out her actual evidence for her point, so he could mock her more for not serving up any evidence.

Maddow happily dealt with this as all media should.  Show the claim from the loudmouth.  Then show the actual unvarnished facts, or video.  Then make the point clear, he manipulated the evidence he had and has tried to hide from responsibility...while being an utter asshole.

Why this is not done more often is beyond me.  The number of times Cheney alone has lied, and he has only once really had his lies called out.  And that is really never brought up in the MSM, they just let him speak and treat him seriously.

Mount Vernon Statement

Conservatives are trying to create the illusion of a honest and positive agenda.  See the Mount Vernon Statement.

It's being promoted by all the best, member of the Heritage Foundation, Tony Perkins from the Family Research Council, good old drowner of government Grover Nordquist, and other charming purveyors of hate and conservatism.  A lovely, lovely group indeed.

It is the usual dreck from these people.  Values.  Founding Fathers.  Limited government.  Just a regular snow job of a piece that really says nothing.

At least the actual Mount Vernon passed on them.

Not even trying to come off as the good guys.

Sec. Sebelius is bringing out a report today on what the insurance industry is up to.

There going to be jacking up rates rapidly.  But we knew that.  But we know now they are going to be doing it in more and more places.

The report will be making it clear...We need reform.

Duh, Congress, duh.  Get to freaking work!

Whatever it is, I'm against it.

Since early last year this song from the Marx Brothers has been dancing about in my head.  It speaks to the Rep mentality to work and allow a functioning government.  Boehner just make a more painted up and less funny joke.



Marx Brothers, Horsefeathers